Transcript Notes on Mythology and Greek gods and goddesses

Greek and Roman Mythology
A Review
Of gods, goddesses, & creatures
What is a myth?
A traditional story rooted in primitive
folk beliefs of cultures
 Uses the supernatural to interpret
natural events
 Explains the culture’s view of the
universe and the nature of humanity
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In the beginning...
…was Chaos (shapeless nothingness)
 Chaos had two children:
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– Night (darkness)
– Erebus (death)
“All was black, empty, silent, endless.”
 Mysteriously, Love was born of
darkness and death.
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And then...
When Love was born, order and beauty
began to flourish.
 Love created Light and Day.
 Earth was created.
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– She was the solid ground, but also a
personality.
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The Earth bore Heaven to cover her
and be a home for the gods.
The First Parents
Mother Earth = Gaea (Gaia)
 Father Heaven = Ouranos (Uranus)
 They had three kinds of children:
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– Three monsters with 100 hands and 50
heads
– Three cyclopes
– The titans
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These were the first characters that had the appearance of life,
although it was unlike any life known to man.
The Titans (The Elder Gods)
There were many of them.
 Enormous size, incredible strength
 Cronos (Saturn): Ruler of the titans
 Rhea: Wife of Cronos
 Ocean: River that encircled the world
 Iapetus: Father of Prometheus,
Epimetheus, and Atlas (also titans)
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The Principal Gods
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Cronos and Rhea
were parents of
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Zeus (Jupiter, Jove)
Poseidon (Neptune)
Hades (Pluto)
Hera (Juno)
Hestia (Vesta)
Demeter (Ceres)
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Other Olympians
include
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Athena (Minerva)
Ares (Mars)
Hebe (Juventas)
Hephaestus (Vulcan)
Apollo (Apollo)
Artemis (Diana)
Hermes (Mercury)
Aphrodite (Venus)
Dionysus (Bacchus)
Persephone
Traits of Gods and Goddesses
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can suffer physical pain
immortal
 supernatural powers;
slightly larger than
appear, disappear, change
humans in size
forms (humans, animals,
live on Mt. Olympus
gods)
beauty is exaggerated  all gods are not omnipotent
"ichor" flowed through
or omniscient
their veins: clearer and (Zeus/Apollo use oracles to
lighter than blood
be omniscient)
intense passions:
 eat ambrosia (immortal
jealousy, rage, lust, etc… stuff) & drink nectar/wine
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The Olympians
Zeus
Chief of the Olympians
 god of sky, lightning, &
thunder
 Carried a thunderbolt
as his symbol
 Married to Hera
 fathered many
characters in
mythology

Zeus
Hera
Wife of Zeus
 goddess of marriage &
home
 Symbol is a peacock (for
her beauty)
 Highest-ranking female
Olympian
 Terribly jealous & often
punished the women
Zeus has affairs with

Poseidon
Moody & quarrelsome
brother of Zeus
 god of the seas,
oceans, earthquakes,
and horses (invented
for his sister Demeter)
 Seen with his Trident
 Married to Thetis, a
water nymph
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Athena
goddess of wisdom,
justice, peace, &
intelligent warfare
 Sprang from Zeus’s
head
 Seen with an owl
 Athens is named for
her & her symbol is
the olive tree
 Most loved child of
Zeus
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Apollo
god of light, sun, the
arts, music, prophecy,
philosophy, &
medicine
 Twin brother of
Artemis
 Drove his chariot
across the sun to pull
it each day

Artemis
goddess of
childbirth, the
moon, & the hunt
 Twin sister of Apollo
 Always carried a
silver bow & arrows
 Remained chaste
and pure
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Hephaestus
god of fire, volcanoes,
and the forge
 Blacksmith to the gods
 Least attractive of the
gods & was crippled by
his mother Hera
 Usually carries his anvil
 Married to Aprodite,
who cheated on him
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Aphrodite
goddess of love,
beauty, & desire
 Sprang from the
ocean foam
 Married to
Hephaestus but
cheated with Ares
 Son is Cupid (Eros)
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Ares
god of war
 Known for riding his
chariot and carrying
his spear
 Favored son of Hera
 Involved with
Aphrodite
 Bloodthristy &
merciless
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Hermes
god of thieves, mischief,
travelers, shepherds,
& humans
 Messenger of the gods
 Wears his winged sandals
 Sometimes holds a caduceus
(medical symbol)
 Appears in more myths than
any other character
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Hades
Sometimes not considered an
Olympian because he lives in the
Underworld & gave up seat on
Mt. Olympus
 god of the Underworld
 Husband of Persephone
 He is not death but simply
watches over the dead.
 Seen with Cerebeus, his threeheaded dog
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Hestia
Roman Name:
Vesta
 goddess of
home/hearth
 Symbol:
Hearth/fire
 Powerful Protector
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Dionysus
Roman Name: Bacchus
 god of wine, earth, &
merriment
 Patron god of the
Greek stage
 Sprang from Zeus’s
thigh
 Symbol: grapevine;
wine/cup
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Demeter
Roman Name: Ceres
 goddess of the harvest,
earth, & fertility
 Symbol: grain
 Mother of Persephone
who grieves when she
goes to the Underworld
by changing the
seasons
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The Muses
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9 daughters of Zeus
and Mnemosyne
inspired artists of all
kinds
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goddesses who
presided over the
arts and sciences
“He is happy whom
the muses love.”
Clio, Urania, Thalia, Melpomene, Erato, Calliope, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Polyhymnia
The Graces
3 goddesses of
grace and beauty
 “They give life its
bloom.”
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Aglaia (Splendor)
Euphrosyne (Mirth)
Thalia (Good Cheer)
The Furies
3 Goddesses of
Vengeance
 They punish
evildoers.
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Tisiphone, Alecto, Megaera
The Fates
3 sisters
 They weave, measure,
and cut the thread of
life for humans.
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Clotho (“The Spinner”)
Lachesis (“The disposer of lots”)
Atropos (“The cutter”)
The Gorgons
3 snake-haired
monsters
 Medusa is most
well-known.
 Once beautiful but
were cursed
 Their looks turn
men to stone.
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The Satyrs
gods of the woods and
mountains
 goat men (like Pan)
 Companions of Dionysus
 They like to drink,
dance, and chase
nymphs.
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The Centaurs
Half man-half horse
 Savage creatures
(except Chiron)
 Followers of
Dionysus
 Chiron was a teacher
to Jason and Achilles
(both famous Greek
heroes)
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Sources
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Graphics in this presentation were taken from
the following web sites:
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http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/search.html
http://www.pantheon.org/
http://www.messagenet.com/myths/
http://mythman.com/
http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/index.html
http://www.paleothea.com/
http://www.entrenet.com/%7Egroedmed/greekm/myth.html
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